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caesura
[ si-zhoor-uh, -zoor-uh, siz-yoor-uh ]
/ sɪˈʒʊər ə, -ˈzʊər ə, sɪzˈyʊər ə /
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noun, plural cae·su·ras, cae·su·rae [si-zhoor-ee, -zoor-ee, siz-yoor-ee]. /sɪˈʒʊər i, -ˈzʊər i, sɪzˈyʊər i/.
Prosody. a break, especially a sense pause, usually near the middle of a verse, and marked in scansion by a double vertical line, as in know then thyself ‖ presume not God to scan.
Classical Prosody. a division made by the ending of a word within a foot, or sometimes at the end of a foot, especially in certain recognized places near the middle of a verse.
any break, pause, or interruption.
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Also cesura.
Origin of caesura
1550–60; <Latin, equivalent to caes(us) cut (past participle of caedere) (caed- cut + -tus past participle suffix) + -ūra-ure
OTHER WORDS FROM caesura
cae·su·ral, cae·su·ric, adjectiveWords nearby caesura
Caesar salad, caesious, caesium, caesium clock, caespitose, caesura, Caetano, C.A.F., cafard, CAFE, café au lait
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use caesura in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for caesura
caesura
/ (sɪˈzjʊərə) /
noun plural -ras or -rae (-riː)
(in modern prosody) a pause, esp for sense, usually near the middle of a verse lineUsual symbol: ||
(in classical prosody) a break between words within a metrical foot, usually in the third or fourth foot of the line
Derived forms of caesura
caesural, adjectiveWord Origin for caesura
C16: from Latin, literally: a cutting, from caedere to cut
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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